Phytogram & Chemigram: Painting with Chemistry

Using vitamin C tablets and washing soda, you will learn how to make your very own light sensitive chemistry. This can then be applied on to light sensitive materials such as 35mm film to create unique images. This process was discovered by the artist Karel Doing as a way for people to connect with nature more through photography. In the workshop, we will make relief prints using this process with leaves from the Folk House courtyard, after which we will process these using darkroom fixer to make them translucent. The chemigram is a painterly process, which can be applied to light-sensitive materials using phytogram chemistry, fixer, and resistant materials such as Vaseline. They can seem like images from another world, and often have a very psychedelic feel. You will learn how to create your own chemigrams in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere at the Folk House, and be asked to build up layers using other techniques, such as lumen printing.